Sustainability, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(7), P. 2854 - 2854
Published: March 24, 2025
Climate change significantly stresses cold-adapted and stenothermic plant species in high-altitude mountain ecosystems. The diverse at elevations ranging from 1324 to 2527 m above mean sea level (AMSL) provide an ideal setting for investigating these impacts the Al-Baha Highlands, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study has three aims: first, estimate vegetation cover 2023 its relationship with environmental factors; second, analyze long-term trends (1991–2023) key spectral indices, including normalized difference index (NDVI), water (NDWI), open (NDWIw), land surface temperature (LST), using Kendall tau-b method; third, model ecological stress via a generalized additive (GAM) assess impact on vegetation. We utilized Landsat 5/7/8 (C2 SR T1) indices Copernicus DEM topographic hydrological analysis. results indicate significant roles of LST, elevation, distance seasonal streams shaping patterns (p < 2 × 10−16). There were negative NDVI (91.66 km2), NDWI (138 NDWIw (804 km2) 0.05), whereas LST exhibited positive (116.15 0.05). GAM achieved high predictive accuracy (R2 = 0.979), capturing nonlinear relationships between predictors score. Severe occurred zones (>1700 AMSL) south-facing slopes due increased declining NDWI, impacting such as Juniperus procera. Hypothesis testing was used variations NDVI, trends, highland lower-elevation areas, revealing highly differences 2.2 This provides novel insights into dynamics relation altitude slope aspects, offering actionable recommendations sustainable ecosystem management, targeted reforestation resource optimization mitigate preserve biodiversity.
Language: Английский